


Veni

by apoloniaa



Series: In the Shadow of Ghosts [1]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-08 18:45:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11652486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apoloniaa/pseuds/apoloniaa
Summary: Apolonia Shepard enlisted in the Alliance at the age of 18, running away from the drug cartels of her orphaned childhood. Several years later, she finds herself standing on the brink of galactic war. Can she break away from the ghosts of her past long enough to save the world, or will she succumb to the memories that haunt her?





	1. The Spectre

**Author's Note:**

> This is a project I have decided to take on as I replay the Mass Effect series. While I am following the plot pretty much to the letter, this is intended to be a chance to expand on my Shepard's internal thoughts, history, and actions, and will feature some non-canon events. I will be trying to add my own flair to the canon parts of the story, just to give it a new way to imagine the original events. The entire series is entitled "In the Shadow of Ghosts," and "Veni" is the first installation aka Mass Effect 1. Tags will update as the story progresses.
> 
> Comments and courteous criticisms are encouraged, especially as I begin to add new characters I am not used to characterizing.

Apolonia Shepard rubbed her temple as she stepped into the Normandy’s elevator, feeling a pocket of pressure developing behind her right eye. Something wasn’t right about this mission, and the whole crew could feel it. Jenkins, in particular, wouldn't shut up about it, but Apolonia couldn't help but agree. Captain Anderson had told everyone it was “just a test of the new stealth prototype,” but he averted his gaze away from Shepard anytime she asked about it. Now, he wanted her to meet him privately. Hopefully, she was about to get some answers.

Shepard stepped off the elevator and down into the conference room. Nihlus, the turian Spectre, stood alone, facing the comm screen. The empty blue light reflected off his white markings, making his black skin look even darker in contrast. He looked like a skeleton, standing there in the dim light.

“Nihlus.”

“Hello, Commander. I was hoping you would get here first. I wanted to talk to you.

Cautiously, she moved farther into the room. “I’m here to meet the Captain,” she asserted.

“He’s on his way. In the meantime, I wanted to talk to you about this world. Eden Prime. I hear it’s beautiful, a quiet little farming world. Yet, it is more than that, isn’t it? The first tendril of humanity, snaking out into the galaxy, a symbol of human resilience and strength. But is that strength enough?”

Apolonia felt her fingers twitch towards her pistol. “What are you implying, Spectre?”

“The galaxy is a dangerous place,” Nihlus hummed, eyes following Shepard’s hand. “Are you sure humans are ready to be a part of it?”

A defensive retort had nearly slipped past the tip of her tongue, when Shepard heard Captain Anderson’s booming voice behind her. “I think it’s time we fill the Commander in, Nihlus.”

‘What’s going on, sir?” Shepard asked, sensing the mood shift in the room.

“This mission is more than a test. We have a pick up on Eden Prime, a matter of security.” The Captain clasped his arms behind his back, authority resonating from his stance.

“I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark, sir. I think I’ve earned that much.” Apolonia stood straight, her own confidence present in the hard line of her jaw. She was smaller than both Nihlus and the Captain, yet she filled the room, a fire burning behind her blue eyes.

“It wasn’t my call, Commander.” Captain Anderson hesitated, the weight of his knowledge heavy on his lips. “There is a prothean artifact out on Eden Prime, that is what we have been tasked to recover. It is of the utmost importance that it be removed quietly, and carefully.”

“Why us?” Apolonia’s eyebrows furrowed inquisitively. “Why not send a team from the Citadel?”

Nihlus stepped forward. “There is more to this mission. You may have wondered why I’m here.”

“Once or twice.” Shepard snipped. She would gladly take orders from the Captain, but she loathed the way the turian slunk about the ship, the black shadow of his Spectre status looming behind him. 

Unphased, Nilhus continued. “I am here to evaluate you as a candidate for the Spectre program. You were brought to my attention after Torfan, and the Council has requested I complete a series of missions with you. I will observe your performance and report back to the Council for further evaluation.”

_Torfan._ The name echoed in Apolonia’s brain, ghosts flashing behind her eyes. The whizz of bullets, the breaking of bones. A dirty face, blurred by her own blood, sweat, and tears. His lips forming her name before his last breath passed between them. She shook her head, clearing the images from her mind.

“I don’t like people deciding my future for me.” She took a step closer to Nihlus, staring pointedly into his beady eyes.

Nihlus flicked his mandibles with disinterest. “It is your chance to show the Council what humanity is worth. You have the potential we are looking for, Commander. However, it is up to you to show me that you know how to use it.”

Before she had a chance to protest, Captain Anderson directed the conversation back to the mission. “Shepard. You, Alenko, and Jenkins will make up our ground team. Nihlus will accompany you, as an observer. Your primary objective is the safe recovery of the beacon. You must be quick, and you must be careful. We will be landing in just a few—“

“Hey, Captain. I’ve got something for you on the comm, I think you’re going to want to see this.” Joker’s voice crackled over the Normandy’s system. He sounded anxious.

“Put it through, Joker.”

The comm screen behind them sprung to life. Instantly, fire filled the screen. Screams echoed through the speakers, and an armed woman sprinted across the camera’s field of vision.

“We’re under attack, I repeat, we are under attack!” A desperate voice filled the room, tinny against the sound of explosions and gunfire. “Requesting evac, we have heavy casualties. Please. Anyone, anyone---.” Another scream, and the thump of a body on the ground. 

The camera panned upward. A massive black shape loomed in the sky, blue electricity crackling between its long leg-like structures. The camera shook back and forth, and then, nothing. The room was silent.

Joker’s voice was the first to break the quiet. “There’s no radio chatter. We’re the only Alliance ship in the area, sir.”

Captain Anderson nodded slowly. “Take us in Joker. We have work to do.”

***

Shepard pulled on her helmet, tucking her auburn bun tightly into place. She double checked her pressure seals, and put a hand on her pistol, its presence comforting her. Jenkins was beside her, chattering away.

“I knew it. I knew something was up with this mission. It just didn’t feel right? Y’know?”

On the other side of Apolonia was Kaidan Alenko. He gave her a glance as he fastened his shin plates, but said nothing.

The thunder of Captain Anderson’s voice captured their attention. “Alright crew. The mission has gotten a little more complicated, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Commander Shepard should have already briefed you on the mission, but to remind you, the primary objective is to recover the beacon and return it safely to the Normandy. Quick and careful.”

Kaidan raised his head from checking his boots. “And if we find survivors, sir?”

“A secondary objective, Alenko. The beacon takes priority.”

Joker’s voice came over the intercom. “Approaching the drop, Captain.” The bay doors began to open, the quick rush of wind causing everyone to steady themselves against the wall. Nihlus stood off to the side, loading his gun.

“Hey Nihlus, are you coming too?” Jenkins inquired.

Nihlus turned his head toward the three of them. “I do better alone. You’ll see me when you need me.” With a running start, he was out the bay door.

The Captain turned back to Shepard and her crew. “Good luck, team. Let’s get the job done.”

Shepard moved to face the bay doors, as the Normandy skimmed low. She raised her hand and waved her team forward, and they rolled out onto the ground. Apolonia skidded onto the earth, armor taking most of the impact, but not all. With a grunt, she raised her self to her feet, and took her first look at Eden Prime.

The peaceful farm world had been consumed. Pillars of smoke were rising across the landscape, and metal shrapnel littered the ground. Dark red clouds mixed with the soot, creating a skyline the color of blood and ash. The trio stood in silence for a moment, transfixed by the destruction. 

With a wave of Apolonia’s hand, the team began to pick their way through the burning grass. Two charred bodies lay on the nearby rocks, and Jenkins let out a noise of fear. “Oh god,” he barely whispered, “what happened here?”

“Focus, Jenkins. Move ahead.” Shepard picked up her pace, leading Kaidan and Jenkins up a short hill. As they reached the peak, her hand shot up in a fist, bringing her teammates to a sudden stop. A small corridor of rocky outcrops spread out below them, perfect for an ambush. The Commander hesitated for a moment, scanning the area for movement. When she saw nothing, they continued onward.

Jenkins shot ahead, leaving Kaidan and Shepard behind him. As he stepped into the mouth of the corridor, blue gunfire shot out from behind the rocks, striking him hard and fast in his chest plate. With a scream of pain, he fell toward the ground.

“Go, go, go! Find cover!” Apolonia barked the orders as she raced toward the swarming geth. Her back slammed into one of the tall rocks, and she peered around the edge to fire off shots into the oncoming enemy. Kaidan was on the other side of the corridor, alternating between shots and blasts of biotic energy. Apolonia felt her own biotics tingle in her fingertips, and she focused on building the energy, directing it toward her hands. In one quick movement, she let out a burst of blue light, and tossed two incoming geth backward. They smashed against the rocks, metallic carapaces shattering on the impact. Together, she and Kaidan cleared the corridor, leaving geth bodies strewn alongside Jenkins’s.

Apolonia and Kaidan moved toward the fallen soldier. Quietly, Kaidan knelt down and closed Jenkins’s eyelids. Shepard gazed at the body, feeling the memories of Torfan starting to swarm in the back of her mind. She took a deep breath, and felt the familiar steeling of her heart. _It’s part of the job,_ she reminded herself. Turning away from Jenkins, and toward Kaidan, she jerked her head toward the other side of the corridor. “Leave him, we have to keep moving.”

The two pushed on, sticking closer to cover than they had before. It seemed as if around every corner was another fleet of geth drones, and every rock hid another trooper. The sound of gunfire careened across the landscape, echoing on the high cliffsides. Kaidan and Apolonia’s biotics lit up the dark ruby sky with bursts of blue, like lightning illuminating thunder clouds. 

Nihlus’s voice rattled into the speakers on Shepard’s helmet. “Commander. There’s a lot of burned out buildings up here. Not much left but some dead bodies. I’m pushing ahead to the dig site. Meet me there.”

“Roger that Nihlus. We lost Jenkins, it’s just Lieutenant Alenko and I now.”

“Roger, Shepard. Nihlus out.”

The radio crackle died out, and the duo set out for the dig site, their omintools lighting up with coordinates sent from Nihlus. Shepard guided them down a steep hill that let out into a broad valley.

Suddenly, a woman rushed across the clearing, firing back at the geth chasing her. Apolonia recognized the armor from the video Joker had patched in. It looked military grade, but the woman was still being overwhelmed by the geth. Shepard watched in horror as two geth took another human, and impaled him on a spike that rushed toward the sky. His blood dripped down the edges as his cries died out.

Kaidan and the Commander moved forward, racing past the cover the woman had taken. Kaidan threw a geth into the air, and Shepard fired off three shots as it hurtled toward earth. On her left, bullets whizzed past her helmet, and she let her hand twist shut, using her biotics to warp her attacker. With a shout, she raced forward, knocking a drone out of the sky with the butt of her gun, and slamming her boot into it to smash it. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her focus narrowed to the battle field. With pinpoint accuracy, she took out three geth in a row. Kaidan followed behind, making short work of the last remaining drone.

With quiet returning to the field, the woman peered out from behind her shelter. She approached Shepard and Kaidan, relief painted across her face. “Thank you, Commander. These geth have killed the rest of my crew.” She looked down sadly. “I thought I might be next.”

“Your armor looks like Alliance issue, who are you, soldier?” Shepard barked.

Straightening, the woman replied, “Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, ma’am. With the 212.”

“What can you tell me about what happened here?”

“Not much ma’am. We were doing our usual patrol, and then the attack hit. We did our best to control the situation, but there were too many. They ambushed us near the beacon, and I was the only one who made it out.”

Shepard frowned, “are you telling me you left the rest of your crew behind to die?”

“No, ma’am,” Ashley replied, anger seeping into her voice. “We held our ground as best we could. I told you, there were too many for us to take on.”

“You said you were near the beacon site, where is it?” Apolonia pressed.

“Just over that hill, I can show you.”

Shepard shook her head. “No. You stay here. We’re on a mission, and we can’t have you slowing us down.”

Kaidan glanced at Shepard, disagreement in his eyes. “With all due respect, Commander, she could help us. She knows the area, and might be able to help us understand what’s going on here.”

The Commander stared down Ashley, who stood resolutely in place. “Very well. Come with us, and tell us everything you know about what happened here.”

“I wasn’t there when the unearthed the beacon, but they brought in a lot of scientists,” Ashley began as they climbed the hill toward the dig site. “They put our units in charge of the area, protecting it. I don’t know what that beacon does, but it sure sounded like it was important.”

At the top of the hill, Shepard could see the dig site laid out before her. Lights surrounded the whole area, some shining brightly into the center of the trench, and others broken by incoming bullets. In the center, a metallic platform stretched out, where the beacon must have been. Nihlus wasn’t there either. He must have realized the beacon was missing, and moved on. They carefully moved down the side of the hill, and Apolonia approached the remains of the site.

“The beacon was right here last time I saw the site. Someone must have moved it.” Ashley pointed out anxiously.

“Are you sure it wasn’t just the scientists?” Shepard inquired, Kaidan emitting a noise of agreement behind her. 

“I doubt it. I was here just a few hours ago. There’s no way they moved it before the attack hit.”

“Then it looks like we have some more geth to take care of,” Apolonia grunted. “Come on, let’s get going.”

The group trudged up another rocky slope. At the precipice, there was a research camp. The once-sturdy metallic buildings were torn apart, sidings ripped asunder, and their innards burning. The harsh scent of hot iron filled the air. Apolonia surveyed the area, looking for survivors or enemies. Her eyes fell onto a trio of metal spikes, and she slowly turned her gaze upward.

Up on the spikes were more human shapes. They were pierced through with the rods, their eyes glowing a threatening blue. It reminded Shepard of the blue lightning that had crackled between the legs of that ominous shape on the vid.

Kaidan’s shout broke Apolonia’s focus. “Oh god, they’re alive.” The bodies had begun to twitch wildly, and the spikes slammed back into the earth. The human like shapes – because they were clearly no longer human – pried themselves off the structures and began staggering toward Kaidan, Apolonia, and Ashley.

Apolonia sent out a wave of biotic energy, blasting the creatures back. They were quickly gaining speed, and Kaidan and Ashley fired off round after round into their chests. The monsters sputtered black ooze when they were hit, and the smell of fried electrical parts emanated from them as they died with a synthetic screech. 

“All clear,” Apolonia panted. “let’s check the bunkers for anything useful.”

She began examining the different units. Most were deserted, but a few had some left over medi-kits. Shepard thankfully applied a smear of medi-gel across her forehead, stifling the blood flowing out of a rather large cut. Kaidan and Ashley took their own share, and they moved on to the next building.

“Hm, it’s locked.” Ashley noted. “Decryption code is easy enough, lemme see if I can get it.” She fiddled with the lock and her omni-tool, and within moments, the door clicked open. “I’ll go in first, watch my back.” Ashley crept into the doorway, gun held at the ready, with Shepard and Kaidan close behind.

“Oh, thank goodness, humans!” An exhausted looking woman dressed in laboratory gear exclaimed. Behind her, a man cowered. He too was dressed like a scientist, but he was mumbling quietly to himself.

“Dr. Warren, right?” Ashley noted, with a tone of recognition. “You were working on the dig site.”

“Have you seen the beacon?” Shepard demanded. “It’s essential that we find it. Now.”

Dr. Warren stuttered slightly, taken aback by the Commander’s rough tone. “Ah-yes-I, they moved it this morning. To the space port. We were here, cleaning up the supplies, and then…”

“The creatures…the creatures. They came, with the geth. Horrible, horrible monsters.” The man behind Dr. Warren spoke louder, his eyes darting back and forth, hands trembling. “They killed them all, all of them!”

Dr. Warren reached out a reassuring hand, rubbing her partner’s arm comfortingly. “I’m sorry. Dr. Manuel isn’t of the best health. He was rather upset by the attack. Frankly, who wouldn’t be?” Dr. Manuel’s mumbling returned to a whisper.

“You said you were working on the beacon. Can you tell me more about it?” Apolonia looked at Dr. Warren, sparing an unsure glance to Dr. Manuel in the corner.

“It’s a data collection of some sort. It looks like maybe the protheans used it to transfer large chunks of information. We haven’t been able to unlock it, but I believe we are looking at one of the most significant discoveries of our time.” A hint of excitement tinged Dr. Warren’s voice, but underneath was still fear.

“Alright. Thank you for your help. My team and I need to continue on our mission.” Apolonia began to move out of the unit.

“Wait! Wait! Aren’t you going to help us? You aren’t going to leave us here are you?” Dr. Warren grabbed Ashley’s arm, eyes beginning to fill with tears. Dr. Manuel paced nervously behind her.

The Commander hesitated in the doorway. “I’m sorry. We were given a task to complete, we must return to it. I wish you luck.”

Reluctantly, Ashley took Dr. Warren’s hand off her, and whispered some soft words as they all turned to leave. As they stepped out of the bunker, Dr. Manuel screamed behind them.

“They are coming! They are coming! You cannot stop them!”

Apolonia did not look back, and continued to hike on toward the spaceport. 

 

The spaceport was a fair distance away from the camp. They had been hiking for nearly thirty minutes when it finally came into view. It lay quietly, a terrain of docks and cargo, with an eerie absence of life. A terminal sat at one end, with a transport ready to take the spoils of the dig off to the nearest space ship, but no one to drive it. And above them, incomprehensibly large, was the horrible black shape Apolonia had seen in the vid. The lightning still crackled between its legs, a threatening blot against the blood-red sky. 

“What is that thing?” Kaidan gasped.

“I think…I think it’s a ship.” Ashley murmured.

“Whatever it is, we need to keep moving. Let’s go.” Shepard instructed. Her team followed behind her, eyes still glancing at the giant form on the horizon.

As they moved in closer toward the space port, a flicker of movement caught Apolonia’s eye. Silently, she raised her fist, and pointed toward a pair of geth patrolling the outer area. Raising her gun, she bent down into a crouch, and inched forward.

The first geth didn’t know what hit him. Shepard’s bullet had blasted through his wires and metal plates before he had a chance to turn around. Ashley knocked out the second one, but the commotion had alerted more. Kaidan and Shepard took cover behind a rail guard, and Ashley dived beneath a tall stack of cargo boxes. Apolonia peered over the edge of the rail guard, and fired off a series of shots, taking out two geth but missing a third. Her frustration turned to energy in her chest, the familiar tingle racing down her arm again. With a push, it exploded. Blue light enveloped the third geth, blasting him backward into the cargo. 

Kaidan was firing off his own biotics, lifting a drone high into the air, and letting it slam back down into an unexpecting trooper. Ashley had her back to the cargo stack, turning around to let out quick burst of fire every few minutes.

When Shepard was certain the area was clear, she hurried up the steps to the main floor of the spaceport. Nihlus had radioed in earlier, asking her to meet him there. She looked around, but couldn’t find the tall turian anywhere.

Pressing down on her omnitool, she fired off a message. “Nihlus, come in. Nihlus, it’s Commander Shepard. I’m at the rendezvous point. What’s your status?”

Nothing but radio static.

“Nihlus. Nihlus, do you copy?”

This time, Kaidan spoke up. “Shepard, I think I heard something from over there.” He pointed to another open floor space, the view of most of it blocked by towering shipping containers. Cautiously, Apolonia led them over there.

A tall figure lay face down in the center of the floor. Blue blood seeped out of a wound on the back of his head, pooling over his dark armor. His crest was broken, shattered by the impact of the bullet. With a hard swallow, Shepard moved closer. She knelt down to turn the body over, and a motionless turian face stared up at her, his white tattoos glowing in the light of the spaceport.

“It’s Nihlus,” Apolonia turned to Kaidan and Ashley. “He’s dead.”


	2. Saren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery around the Beacon increases with the death of turian Spectre Nihlus, and Shepard's strange vision. As the Normandy approaches the Citadel to meet with the council, Apolonia spends some time dealing with the aftermath of the mission.

“Dead?” Kaidan shook his head in disbelief. “How? I mean the guy was a Spectre.”

Suddenly, a noise crashed from behind some shipping crates. Apolonia swiveled on her heel, gun drawn, ready to face Nihlus’s assailant. A frightened human peered over the edge of the crates, and ducked back down at the sight of Shepard’s pistol.

“Please,” he cried from his hiding spot, “please don’t shoot me.”

“Come out, hands raised.” Shepard demanded, locking the barrel of her gun onto the man’s chest as he shakily rose to his feet. “You wanna tell me who you are and what exactly you were doing back there?”

“My name is Powell, I was just hiding behind the crates during the fighting, but I saw the whole thing. I can tell you. Please, I’m one of you.”

“So, you figured you would just hide while everyone else risked their lives?” Shepard frowned, her gun shifting closer to Powell. He took a stumbling step backward.

“Look, I’m just a dock worker. And I, well…I fell asleep, okay? I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.” Powell rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Anyway, when I woke up, I heard two turians talking. They seemed like they knew each other. Nihlus, your friend there, and Saren.”

“Wait. There were two turians here?” Apolonia put her gun down, looking at Powell incredulously.

“Yeah, like I said, they looked like they knew each other. They were talking about the Council, and needing help, and then all of a sudden Saren shot the other one in the head.” Powell fell quiet, still eyeing the armed trio nervously.

“Where did Saren go? We need to find him.” Apolonia insisted urgently. She could feel time running out.

“Uh, toward the train. He’s probably headed toward the Beacon.”

“Come on, let’s go!” Shepard took off without another word, Kaidan and Ashley racing behind her, leaving Powell standing behind the crates.

The Commander’s feet pounded hard against the earth, her heart racing in her chest. Whoever this Saren was, he was headed toward the Beacon, and she had to stop him. With a leap, she cleared the gate on the side of the tram stationed at the dock, searching for the control panel. When Ashley and Kaidan joined her, she slammed her fist into the engine start button, accelerating them forward as fast as they could go.

The train pulled in with a lurch to another area of loading docks. Without waiting for the automatic doors to open, Shepard climbed over the side of the car and onto the deck. Immediately, she was face with a large detonator.

“Fuck. The geth must have known we were coming. We have to take these out before they kill us.” As Apolonia bent down to start disarming the system, gunfire ricochet off the wall behind her, sending them all into cover. A group of geth was marching their way, weapons held high. Looking over her shoulder to Ashley and Kaidan, Apolonia shouted, “take them out! I’ll take care of the bombs.”

‘Yes ma’am!” The two soldiers responded in unison. They rushed forward to take on the geth in a flurry of biotics and gunfire, while their Commander bent low over the bomb, furiously typing on her omni-tool. She nervously watched the counter tick down as the decryption ran, until her omni-tool let out a bright beep. Successful, she sprinted down the docks toward the next one.

While Shepard systematically cleared the area of detonators, Ashley and Kaidan found themselves facing more and more geth. Ashley had taken cover behind a metal railing, and the impact of enemy fire was causing it to rattle unsteadily. She turned to fire a shot at the balcony across from her. The incendiary bullet clipped a geth’s shoulder piece, but the impact was enough to trigger a massive explosion, blowing the enemy away. Kaidan grabbed another geth with his biotics, and threw it toward the blast just in time. 

Apolonia caught up with her squadmates at the last detonator. She had her back to them, working furiously to finish the job. Kaidan and Ashley surrounded her, faces pointed towards the barrel of a geth trooper’s assault rifle. Grunts of effort and pain echoed in Apolonia’s ears as she raced against the clock.

“Come on! Come! On!” She shouted in frustration, banging the floor next to her. Every second seemed like hours, every minute like days. Finally, her omni-tool blipped, and she turned around to assist her squad. 

The trooper was faltering, but not enough to stop it from barraging their meager cover with bullets. Apolonia focused herself, pulling at her biotic energy and flowing it as fast as she could toward her hands. The power concentrated, bubbling against her fingertips, and she let out a huge blast, knocking her one direction and the trooper in the other.

For a moment, there was a ringing in her ears, and she saw the blood red sky above her. Hoisting herself up to her feet, she noticed the silence of the battle field. The blast had finished off the last trooper, and the area was clear. Kaidan was already standing, helping Ashley back up to her feet. Apolonia started running again, there was no time to lose.

As she reached the bottom of the last flight of stairs, it became clear that Saren was long gone. However, before them stood what must be the Beacon. It was a massive, metallic rod, with a mysterious green glow around it’s edges. Apolonia felt energy emanating from it, not unlike her biotics, but still clearly something else. She began to radio in the Normandy, alerting them they were ready for pick up, and Kaidan wandered toward the Beacon.

He approached it slowly, and as he examined it more closely, he began to struggle, as if an invisible field was drawing him in. Looking up from her omni-tool, Shepard saw him fighting against the power, his feet beginning to lift off the ground. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, slamming him into the ground away from the Beacon. She still lay in the field of energy though, and felt herself being pulled in by it. It was like a massive magnet, that she couldn’t, and didn’t want to resist. Her boots lifted off the ground, and she felt her mind expand.

_Flashes of light. Red. Black. Dark. Blood and screams and the screech of synthetics. The dark black shape looming in the distance, then closer, and closer. Creatures past, present, and future. All at once, and all too much. The crackle of electricity, and the cries of humanity. A voice. Her voice._

And then, everything turned to black.

***

When Apolonia awoke, her head pounded like the Normandy had landed directly on top of her. The bright fluorescent lights above her were like knives on her retinas, and she winced at the harshness of everything around her. A soft, but stern voice began to break through the haze.

“Commander Shepard. Commander Shepard, can you hear me?”

With a few more blinks, Apolonia began to pull herself into a sitting position. She was on a bed she realized, in the Normandy med-bay. “Dr. Chakwas. Not so loud, if you don’t mind,” Shepard requested, still squinting and fighting through a headache.

Dr. Chakwas let out a small chuckle. “Glad to see you are in working order, Commander.”

Another shape came into focus. Kaidan, lingering in the back behind the doctor. “Hey Shepard, are you alright?”

Memories of what happened started to bubble up in Shepard’s mind, along with the hot sear of anger in her chest. “Alenko. What you did was reckless, and unacceptable. You could have endangered the entire mission.” 

_You could have died. Another soldier, on my watch, she thought to herself._

Kaidan opened his mouth, but hesitated. “Yes, Commander,” he finally said, quietly. “I’ll do better next time.”

Dr. Chakwas turned a stern eye to Apolonia. “He may very well have saved your life, Commander. He brought you back here, you know.” 

Apolonia chose to stay silent, instead focusing on the deep throb in the back of her skull. Her whole body ached too, the strain of the mission catching up to her. Dr. Chakwas continued to perform a few more examinations, taking her heart rate, blood pressure, and asking Apolonia to follow her finger with her eyes. Shepard broke her gaze away from the index finger when another figure entered the room.

“Commander Shepard,” Captain Anderson greeted her. “Dr. Chakwas tells me you appear to have returned no worse for wear.”

“A few minor bruises,” the doctor corrected, “but nothing unusual.”

“If the two of you don’t mind,” Captain Anderson nodded at Kaidan and Dr. Chakwas, “I would like to speak with the Commander alone.”

“Yes, sir.” Kaidan nodded and ducked out of the room. Dr. Chakwas gathered her things, and was out the door as well.

Apolonia started to stand, but Anderson shook his head, gesturing for her to sit down. He took a seat on the bed next to hers. “I wanted to debrief with you, Commander. How do you feel about the mission?”

Shepard looked up in disbelief. “It was nearly a failure, sir. Intel let us down on this one. We were completely underprepared for the geth. We lost Jenkins because of it.”

“There is nothing more Intelligence could have done to prepare us, Shepard. No one expected the geth, there was no way we could have been given warning.”

Apolonia seemed dissatisfied at that answer, but continued anyway. “What happened to the solider we picked up on Prime, Gunnery Chief Williams?”

“Williams has been integrated into the Normandy. She was the last of her crew, so I have decided to offer her a place here.”

“Sir, with all due respect, we know nothing about her. How can we trust her?”

“She’s Alliance, that’s good enough for me.” Captain Anderson asserted.

“I’m just not sure blind trust is a good idea when there are Spectres shooting one another out there, sir.”

“Ah yes. Saren. Lieutenant Alenko gave me the rundown. His Spectre status is going to be trouble. I believe he killed Nihlus and was trying to steal the Beacon, but the Council might not be so easily convinced.”

Shepard let out a snort. “I don’t think the Council will be much help to us.”

“No,” Anderson agreed, “but it’s the only way to get justice. Spectres work outside the law, and the Council is the only thing that can control them. Saren is untouchable without their help.”

A silence fell over the two soldiers. Apolonia’s headache had dimmed, but she could still feel something throbbing in the back of her mind.

“Is there anything else you would like to report, Commander?”

Shepard met Anderson’s eyes, the dark brown searching her light blue. “I’m…not sure what it was. When I felt the Beacon, I saw…” She broke her gaze, knowing she was going to sound insane. “I saw a vision. I can’t remember much of it. There was too much, all at once.” Her eyes met Anderson’s once more. “But I know I saw death.”

A chilly quiet lingered in the room. Shepard would not meet Anderson’s eyes again, and he sighed deeply.

“You should tell the Council about this,” he said slowly, as if trying not to alarm a wild animal.

The Commander bristled. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to go to the Council and tell them I’m having visions. I don’t even understand what I saw, sir. How can I explain that to a group of people who’ll take any chance to prove humanity wrong?”

Anderson hummed. “Either way, we have to go to Ambassador Udina about Saren. A Spectre is dead, and someone needs to answer to that.” He rose, clasping his hands behind his back. “Take some time to decompress, Commander. When you’re ready, tell Joker to dock at the Citadel.”

“Yes, sir.” Apolonia stood this time, saluting Captain Anderson as he left the room.

Not long after Captain Anderson’s departure, Dr. Chakwas returned to the med-bay. Shepard sat quietly, methodically stretching her muscles, feeling the familiar burn of injury across her skin. Her shoulder hurt the most, she must have landed on it when she fell from the Beacon.

“A word of advice, if I may, Commander.” The doctor’s voice came softly, Dr. Chakwas not even turning around to face Apolonia. “Don’t be so hard on the Lieutenant. He’s a good soldier, and you’re not the woman you were on Torfan.”

At the mention of Torfan, Apolonia looked up at Dr. Chakwas. She still had her back to her, but Shepard felt like she was being pierced by someone’s gaze. Unsettled, she gathered the rest of her things off the bed. “Thank you for your help, Dr. Chakwas.”

“Any time, Commander.”

The door to the med-bay slid shut behind Shepard with a whoosh as she walked out into the second deck of the Normandy. She could see Kaidan across the way, leaning on one of the support pillars. Maybe Dr. Chakwas had been right, maybe she had been too harsh on him.

“Kaidan,” Shepard called, beckoning him over.

“Yes, Commander?” Kaidan stood straight and tall, ready for orders.

“Relax, I just wanted to say thank you. For bringing me back to the Normandy.” 

Kaidan’s shoulders loosened and he tilted his head to the side, slightly embarrassed. “Oh. Of course, Commander, part of the job. I just wish we could have saved Jenkins too, y’know.”

Apolonia looked into his soft brown eyes, seeing the anger and guilt she knew well herself. “You can’t blame yourself for that. It happens, soldiers die. We all go out there knowing it could be us some day.”

Kaidan let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t make it right, though. We still lost a man today, and I can’t let that go. Not yet, anyway.”

A sense of admiration for the Lieutenant welled up inside Apolonia. She envied the way he still felt so deeply about this, when she barely felt anything at all. In a way, she knew that wasn’t true, but if she let herself acknowledge that, it was a danger to her crew. A danger to herself. To remember one death would be to remember them all, and it would consume her.

“Just don’t let it distract you,” Shepard advised her solider, the hard shell of Commander covering her again. 

“Of course not, ma’am. So, what’s next for us? Are we going to bring what we found to the Council?” Kaidan’s face showed eagerness for information, his mind already looking ahead to the next mission.

Apolonia smirked, “I’m not really allowed to say, Alenko. But you seem observant,” she threw him a quick wink, “are you a career man?”

Kaidan smiled back at her. “Yeah, uh, I guess you could say that. You know how it is, being biotic and all. Feels like they’re always watching you anyway, so you might as well get paid for it.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “It made my dad proud too. He was a military man, so I think he thought I was making a good choice joining the Alliance. What about you? Any military family?”

“Oh, no. My parents died when I was ten, so, no family influence for me.” Kaidan began to look sympathetic, but Apolonia shook her head. “No, no. It’s fine. It’s been a long time. The Alliance is what got me off the streets, actually. Started out as just a way to get food and a place to sleep, and now I’m just in it for the action.”

Shepard smiled, trying to ignore the lies coming out of her mouth. It was true that she had joined the military as a way to get out of gangs and drugs, but she wasn’t in it for the action anymore. Sure, she was good at it. In fact, she was one of the best on the field, a deadly combination of tactical experience and biotics. The skill didn’t matter though, her time in the ranks was starting to wear on her. The guilt from Torfan followed her like a hungry dog, waiting for her to give in.

“Well, I should go.” Apolonia jerked her head to where Ashley was sitting across the deck. “Time to go learn about our newest recruit.”

“Goodbye, Commander. See you on the Citadel.” Kaidan let out the tiniest of grins, “if that’s where were going, that is.”

With a laugh, Apolonia took her leave. In the time it took her to cross the mess, she composed herself into the Commander Shepard. Her jawline grew firmer, and she stood taller and straighter. She was in charge, and she knew it.

“Gunnery Chief Williams.” She firmly greeted Ashley.

“Commander, I’m glad to see you made it okay.” Ashley’s tone was genuine, but Shepard remained steely.

“Why are you here, Williams?” The Commander’s question was not so much an inquiry as a demand for answers. Sensing the animosity, Ashley’s friendly demeanor quickly faded.

With an unmistakable edge to her voice, she replied. “Captain Anderson requested that I joined the Normandy. He seemed impressed by my skills on the field, so here I am.”

Shepard felt a prick of anger at the less than subtle attitude Williams was showing her. “I don’t like your tone, soldier. If you’re joining the crew, it’ll serve you to remember that I outrank you.”

That comment upset Ashley, her eyes darkening with anger. “With all due respect, _ma’am_ , you questioned my competence through the entire mission, despite my clear effectiveness. My duty is to serve the Alliance, the same as yours.”

The Commander felt her own irritation building, but kept it hidden behind her authoritative mask. “Then you should understand that my duty is also to keep my team safe. I am not going to blindly trust someone I’ve just met, and especially not on a mission like Eden Prime. You may have convinced the Captain, but don’t think you don’t have to prove yourself to me too.”

Pursing her lips, Ashley gave a final “Yes, ma’am,” and left Shepard. Once she had disappeared from sight, Apolonia let out a heavy sigh. The last thing she needed was a defiant soldier in her ranks.

Pushing the thought to the side for the time being, Apolonia made her way to Joker. The cheeky pilot was relaxing in his chair, monitoring the Normandy’s status as they drifted just outside the Citadel’s range. He looked up when he saw Shepard, and begin typing away at the console.

“Ready to dock, Commander?”

“Yes, bring her in.”

“Roger that.”

Joker’s focus shifted to the array of screens in front of them, hands moving wildly across the myriad of data and images. Apolonia turned her attention to the window that peered out into the vast emptiness of space.

As they moved in closer, the Citadel fleet came into view. Massive ships towered over the Normandy. Weapons were tucked in their underbellies, ready to defend at a moment’s notice. Behind them, the Citadel itself loomed into view. The station was beyond huge, making the Normandy look like an ant in its presence. Its panels flared outward, the bright lights of the populace blinking orange and white along the sides of the structure. Joker’s voice was in the background, radioing in for permission to land.

With every second they grew closer to the heart of the galaxy, Apolonia’s apprehension grew. She didn’t know what would await her in the Council chambers, but she doubted it would be anything good.


	3. The Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apolonia prepares herself to face a doubtful Council with what she learned on Eden Prime, and meets a potential ally along the way.

The crew of the Normandy marched onto the docks, with Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard leading the way. Kaidan and Ashley followed a few steps behind, each one flanking one of their commanding officers. They quickly traveled through the convoluted halls of the Citadel, passing through the busy throngs of people. Finally, they found themselves at the door to the Human Embassy.

“Ambassador Udina.” Captain Anderson greeted the man behind the desk curtly.

Udina rose. He was short, with a stern face and a disapproving look in his eyes. “Captain Anderson. I have reviewed the reports you sent me. Are you really still considering bringing this to the Council?”

“Yes, I am, Ambassador. We have an obligation to inform the galaxy’s leaders of what happened out on Eden Prime.”

“But one Spectre killing another? That is a serious allegation. Just because Commander Shepard has chosen to take a shell-shocked dock worker at his word—“

“I trust Commander Shepard,” Anderson’s voice boomed, and he stood taller, leaning in toward Udina. “And so should you.” His gaze was fixed directly on Udina. The Ambassador shifted uncomfortably, but did not break eye contact either.

“I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re could cost humanity their chance to see a human Spectre. The Council was just beginning to afford us some respect around here, and you’re going to blow it if you aren’t careful.” Udina spat.

This time, it was Commander Shepard who spoke. “Listen, Ambassador. Saren is out there, and he knows something about that assault on Prime. The Council were the ones who said this mission was so important, so I’ll see it to the end with their help or not.”

Apolonia took a large step forward, so she was right in front of Udina as well. “And you can shove the Spectres up your ass. No one ever asked me what I thought about this, and I’m not a pawn for humanity. If you don’t like the way I do things, find yourself a new poster child.”

Udina let out a frustrated sigh, and looked exasperatedly at Anderson. “This is exactly my point, Captain. Regardless, the meeting with the Council is already established. I will meet you then.”

With the slightest of smiles, Anderson clasped his hands behind his back. “Thank you, Ambassador. We will be there.” With a nod, the Captain turned on his heel, and strode out the room, Shepard and her team fast behind him.

“I have a few things to take care of Shepard,” Anderson turned to Apolonia. “The meeting is in an hour, at the Presidium Tower. Meet me there.”

“Yes, Sir.” Apolonia watched as Anderson disappeared into the flurry of the Citadel.

“All right, the Presidium is that way.” Apolonia gestured off into the distance. “We should probably get moving if we want to get there on time.”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Kaidan, Ashley nodding behind him.

The three began to make their way out of the embassy offices. Directly across from the human embassy was a shared office space for the volus and the elcor. The droning voices of the elcor seemed to be arguing with the wheezing tones of the volus. Shepard decided it was best not to intervene.

They passed a few more offices, and found themselves at the bottom of a flight of stairs. An official-looking Asari sat behind a large desk, typing with focus into a large data pad. As Apolonia passed her, she looked up with a smile.

“Greetings, Commander Shepard. Welcome to the Citadel.”

Apolonia hesitated. “You know who I am?”

“Yes, of course. I am responsible for managing all the appointments and visitors to the embassy offices. I hope you have had a pleasant experience, and continue to enjoy the rest of your time here.” She beamed at Shepard again, and then returned to her work.

Unsettled at the lack of anonymity, Shepard shook shoulders, and moved on past the desk. To the left of them, there was a large sign noting the way to the Presidium Tower was just up a flight of stairs. Apolonia’s omin-tool said they still had about 45 minutes until the meeting though, so she ignored it in favor of a longer, more winding route.

The hustle and bustle of the Citadel never seemed to cease. Most of the people seemed to be visitors, taking in the luxurious sights and sounds. A pair of turians leaned over a railing, watching shuttles fly over the massive ponds of water, while an asari spoke animatedly with a tired salarian. Mostly council species filled the floor, but the occasional human or elcor was spotted amongst the chaos.

Behind the tourism was the Citadel at work. Many uniformed people rushed by, not taking time to admire the lush greenery or towering buildings. They usually had datapads in their hands, and threaded through the crowds with expertise. C-Sec officers lingered on the sidelines, their eyes watching constantly, in way Shepard knew well.

As they neared the Presidium Tower, a large structure caught Apolonia’s gaze. A huge mass effect relay loomed in the center of the plaza. It must have been life-sized, its prongs fading away as they reached endlessly toward the sky.

“This is a true-to-size replica of a mass effect relay!” A bright voice materialized from nowhere, making Shepard jump and reach for her holster. Its owner was a digital asari, bright blue and artificially cheery. “The sculpture has been here since the beginning of the Citadel, and its purpose is unknown.” Just a VI. Shepard relaxed, and continued to listen to what the intelligence had to say. “Many leading scientists believe it is a monument to prothean accomplishments, a proud reminder of their technological advancement. If you have any more questions during your time at the Citadel, please visit me or any other Avina throughout the Presidium. Goodbye!”

The VI blinked out with a pop, and Apolonia turned her eyes to the relay one last time. “Come on, let’s head to the tower.”

Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan all filed into the massive elevator leading to the Presidium Tower. They were traveling several stories up, and the Citadel blurred past them as they shot towards their destination. 

“Huge place,” mused Kaidan, poking his head around the edges of the elevator to stare at the ground below. “Wonder how long it took them to build.”

“Who knows,” Ashley chimed in, “the whole thing was just here. Left by the protheans when they died out.” 

Apolonia stayed silent, preparing herself to face the Council.

As they stepped off the elevator, the dimly lit plaza spread into view. Different government officials tittered about, quietly speaking in the shadows of the blooming trees. Not far from the entrance of the elevator, two turians appeared to be having a heated argument. One, grey with blue markings, was much angrier than the other. He had a C-Sec uniform on.

Apolonia was going to walk past, when the word “Saren” hit her ears. She snapped her head back to the turians, listening intently to the end of their argument.

“The case is closed, Garrus. Halt the investigation,” ordered the taller of the two. He was dressed in turian government garb.

Garrus let out an angry huff. “There is evidence out there, Executor Pallin. You just have to let me find it.” His voice was growing louder, and a few other people had turned to stare.

“The case is closed.” Executor Pallin said with finality, disappearing into the shadows of the plaza, and leaving Garrus standing alone, angry.

Apolonia told Ashley and Kaidan to hang back, and she cautiously walked up to the frustrated turian. “Excuse me, I heard you talking about Saren. Did you know him?”

Garrus turned to fix his beady blue eyes on Apolonia. One was covered with a visor, and Shepard was sure it was scanning her every move as they spoke. “Commander Shepard, right? Garrus Vakarian. I was the C-Sec officer they assigned to the investigation. I read your reports from Eden Prime.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Garrus. You must know why I’m here then. Did you find anything in your investigation I should know about?” Apolonia hoped he had something that could bolster her case for the Council. Anything to convince them of the truth.

Garrus scoffed, “I wish. Saren’s a damn Spectre, so all his activity is hidden away. I know there’s something out there, but it’s just out of my reach.” He clenched his hand into a fist, and shook his head wistfully. “Look, I wish I could help you, but they closed the case on me. Maybe the Council will see things differently when you talk to them.”

Apolonia laughed, “Not likely, but we’ll see what happens.” With a nod, she left the C-Sec officer and made her way toward the flight of stairs at the back of the plaza. Anderson was standing here, waving his hand to hurry her towards him.  
“Come on, they’ve already started.”

Commander Shepard and Captain Anderson burst into the Council chambers, where Ambassador Udina was already in a heated argument with the three Councilors.

“The reports provided are really not sufficient, Ambassador,” the asari councilor insisted. “One eyewitness to the shooting?”

The turian councilor chimed in. “You said yourselves the geth were unexpected. Who’s to say Nihlus wasn’t caught off guard as well?”

A hologram of Saren loomed next to the councilors, smiling in a sickly blue. “Thank you, Council, for recognizing the sheer improbability of this situation.”

Anderson couldn’t take it anymore. “You took advantage of the trust Nihlus put in you so you could kill him!”

Saren turned his electronic gaze to the Captain. “Ah, Captain Anderson. I should have expected you would be part of these accusations. You always seem to be behind attempts to discredit my loyalty to the Council.” The over-sized image leered at Apolonia now. “And of course, you brought your little pet, Commander Shepard. She let the Beacon be destroyed. To think, you thought she could join the ranks of the Spectres.” Saren let out a dark laugh, and Commander Shepard felt rage boiling in the pits of her stomach.

“Careful, Saren. You wouldn’t want to Council to notice how much you hate humanity, would you?” Shepard spat, balling her hands into fists at her side. 

Saren was unfazed, “Your unbridled rage proves my point. Humanity is not fit for the Spectres, and it certainly isn’t fit for a place on the Council.”

The salarian councilor raised a hand, “I believe this discussion has gotten off course. We are not here to discuss the human species’ eligibility for a council position. We must return to the matter at hand, which is the allegations brought against Saren Arterius.”

“Haven’t we exhausted that already?” Saren exaggerated his exasperation. “The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence and there were no significant eyewitnesses to the death of Nihlus, who I remind you, was my friend.”

“We have agreed to hear the Commander’s input,” the asari councilor admitted, sounding as if she agreed with Saren. “Is there anything you wish to add, Commander Shepard?”

Shepard felt the whole room turn to her, their eyes like hot lamps on her skin. With a deep breath, she began. “I didn’t witness Nihlus’s death. However, I did see the Beacon. The amount of information in there, some people might think it’s worth killing for.” She directed her gaze pointedly at Saren. 

“When I touched that beacon,” Apolonia hesistated, “I saw something. I don’t know what it was, maybe just a glimpse into what the Beacon holds, but I saw death, and destruction. There is more to this Beacon than we know. You can’t just let this slide.”

When she was finished, the turian councilor scoffed. “Are we going to believe in visions now? I say we settle this matter, once and for all.” 

Apolonia watched in despair as the salarian and asari councilors nodded in agreement. They conferred quietly for a moment, and then the asari councilor spoke. “The Council finds Saren Arterius innocent, and clear of all charges.”

Saren nodded politely to the council, while Anderson shook his head in disappointment. Ambassador Udina was glaring at him and Apolonia.

“You will regret this, Council.” Shepard growled, right before spinning on her heel and marching out of the chambers, the Captain and ambassador on her heels. 

Outside of the chamber, Udina turned on Anderson. “You ruined our only chance! I should have known not to let you in that chamber; they will never see past your history with Saren!”

Calmly, but not without anger, Anderson replied. “My history with Saren has no bearing on the events of Eden Prime. Besides, you don’t know Saren like I do.”

“The Council is a waste of time anyway.” Shepard crossed her arms and glared at Udina. “You said it yourself.

Udina grumbled indistinctly, “Either way, we need to expose Saren and prove the council wrong. What about Garrus, that C-Sec turian doing the investigation? Harkin is an old C-Sec officer, you can find him in Chora’s Den.”

“He didn’t seem to want to do Saren any favors, I’ll go track him down.” Apolonia agreed.

“Very well. I trust you will get the job done this time, Commander.” The ambassador left Shepard and Anderson alone, disappearing toward the elevator.

With a sigh, Anderson rubbed his temple. “Udina’s difficult, but I can’t blame him for being frustrated with the Council. They preach about how humanity needs to make more galactic efforts, but they never reward us for our accomplishments. Hell, they had us settle the most dangerous corners of the Milky Way, and what do we have to show for it?”

“Sir, you said you knew Saren.” Apolonia shifted the subject, curious about the Captain’s past.

“Yes, Saren.” Anderson paused heavily. “We fought together at the Skyllian Verge, but he was brutal. He would murder anyone in his path if it meant getting the job done, even his own crew if he had to. It’s hard to trust someone like that. It’s what makes him so dangerous as a rouge Spectre.”

Apolonia’s insides squirmed uncomfortably. “With all due respect, sir, so would I. I have, in fact.”

Anderson clapped a hand on Apolonia’s shoulder. “You and Saren are very different, Commander. What you did on Torfan, you did because you had to, because you had no other options left. Saren kills without thought, not as a last resort. We need someone like you in the Spectres to stop people like him. We need people who care.”

The weight of Anderson’s hand left her shoulder, but Apolonia still felt a heaviness in her chest. Maybe it had been her only choice, but Apolonia still couldn’t shake the guilt she felt from Torfan. Her own crew had died because of her, _Lucas_ had died because of her.

_No, no. Don’t think about him._ Apolonia pushed away the memories again, sending them back to the recesses of her mind. With a deep breath, she steeled herself, and turned back toward Captain Anderson. “Thank you for the trust, sir. I think it’s time I get going. We aren’t going to stop Saren sitting around.”

“No, we aren’t. So long, Shepard.”

Captain Anderson moved toward the plaza, nodding at Kaidan and Ashley as he passed them. Apolonia turned to look at the entrance to the Council Chambers behind her, thoughts lingering on Saren. 

_Am I really so different, Captain?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucas is an OC from Apolonia's backstory, and we will hear from him again ;)


	4. The Enemy of My Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard threatens some people and takes home some stray aliens. So all in all a pretty normal day.

“This turian, do you think we can trust him?” Kaidan asked as he, Apolonia, and Ashley weaved through the Citadel crowds. The three of them were making their way to Chora’s Den, chasing the lead Captain Anderson had given them.

“I doubt it. He’s a turian, he probably hates humanity just like the rest of them.” Ashley shuffled past an asari, who frowned at her.

“We just need information on Saren, which he seemed plenty willing to give. He doesn’t need to snuggle up to humanity to give us answers.” Apolonia dashed down the stairs to the wards, the markets opening up before her. Ignoring the calls of different vendors, she moved along the sides of the room, making her way toward the hallway that would lead to Chora’s Den. “Besides, I’ve got an alternative lead on a krogan if this doesn’t pan out.”

“Well, I hope the turian’s friendly then,” Ashley mumbled. “Better them than a krogan.”

The door to Chora’s Den opened, the sound of its air locks bouncing against the walls. As soon as the edge of the door cleared, a bullet came whizzing through the opening. Immediately, the squad ducked for cover. Shepard crouched down on the balls of her feet, and inched forward to a cargo box. “Assassins!” She hissed. “Looks like Saren’s men.”

She peered around the corner, but couldn’t see either of her attackers. For a moment, everything was silent, until she saw the edge of a fringe peek over the barrier across from her. With a booming noise, she pushed a wall of biotic energy toward the assassin, pushing him up the wall. Ashley took the opportunity to fire several rounds into his armor. When he hit the ground, he stayed there.

The other assassin remained in the shadows, and the team found themselves forced to move forward. Kaidan took the lead, holding up a biotic barrier to take the initial hit. Shepard appreciated the cover, but she doubted the hitman was stupid enough to fire into a barrier and give his position away. 

They were pushing through the room systematically, and soon there would be no choice but for the attacker to reveal himself. However, Kaidan’s biotics were fading, and he clenched his jaw in pain as he focused on maintaining the protection. Shepard was reloading her pistol under cover when she saw a shadow move against the far corner of the room. Catching Kaidan’s eye, she signaled for him to drop the barrier.

When the barrier faded, Apolonia leaped up, charging full speed down the hall. The attacker took the bait, and left cover to fire a shot. At the sound of the gun, Apolonia raised her own biotic barrier, just in time for the bullet to bounce off the blue shield. The moment of confusion gave Kaidan the chance to take a headshot, and it was over.

“Risky move there, Commander.” Kaidan remarked, kicking the shell from his final bullet aside.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Apolonia shrugged, giving her squadmate a confident smirk. “I thought you would’ve found it impressive, Lieutenant.” As Shepard turned back around, she thought she saw the faintest blush on Kaidan’s cheeks. 

“Alright, I can still hear music coming from inside, so I’m guessing we’ve still got civilians in there. Hopefully Saren won’t try to take them out with us, but we all saw Eden Prime, so keep your eyes peeled.” Ashley and Kaidan gave the affirmative, and they pushed through the door into Chora’s Den.

The bass was pulsating through the dim room, with dancers gyrating and spinning to the beat. People yelled conversations at each other over the din, buying drinks and dances. Apolonia scanned the room for anything suspicious, but there was nothing to suggest another assault. Still, she kept her hand close to her gun.

“Shepard,” Kaidan leaned in close to Apolonia’s ear so she could hear him over the music, “I think that’s Harkin over there.” He pointed to a man in a shadowy recess, leaning over several empty bottles.

Apolonia rubbed her forehead, “I knew Anderson said he was a drunk, but shit. Alright, I’m going in. Cover me.”

Kaidan and Ashley moved out into the crowd, while Shepard made her way over to Harkin. As she drew closer, he looked up. Something that looked a lot like vomit stained the corner of his mouth.

“Is that the great Commander Shepard?” He slurred. “What’s a pretty face like you doing in a dingy bar like this?” Harkin lurched toward her, but Apolonia pushed him down by the shoulder into his seat.

“You’re disgusting,” she sneered at him, standing tall over his limp pose. “But we need to talk. What do you know about a turian named Garrus? He used to work for C-Sec.”

Harkin let out a laugh that ended in a belch. “Yeah, I figured that’s why you’re here. Chasing after all this Saren shit.” He laughed again. “Did David Anderson put you up to this? He used to be a Spectre, you know. But he fucked it up, and the Council just swept it under the rug. Like it never even happened. Look, princess, you should stay out of things that don’t concern you.”

Apolonia was done playing games now. She slammed the heel of her palm into Harkin’s hand, putting heavy pressure on his knuckles. His fingers curled up in pain, and she drew her pistol on him, placing it right between his eyes. A few tables had begun to stare.

Shepard leaned in, Harkin’s terrified eyes meeting her steely blue. “Where. Is. Garrus.” She demanded, each word punctuated with a push of her gun barrel.

“Fucking hell. He’s probably in Dr. Michel’s office. Up on the second floor. Just, just let me go!”

Satisfied, Apolonia tucked her gun away. “Thanks, princess.” With a final push into his knuckles, Shepard left Harkin howling at his table. She rejoined with Ashley, and Kaidan, and they made their way out of Chora’s Den.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” Kaidan murmured, throwing a glance back to Harkin’s table.

The squad worked their way back to the upper level of the wards. The med-bay was at the end of the hall, and Shepard picked up her pace. Something seemed off, her years of experience forming an intuition she had learned not to ignore. “Come on, we need to hurry.”

The area around the med-bay was suspiciously deserted considering the density of the Citadel. As the doors opened to Dr. Michel’s office, Shepard saw why. Several thug-like men had cornered Dr. Michel, and one of them had a gun drawn on her. The noise of the door had distracted them, and they turned to look at the disturbance. Apolonia took the chance to shoot one of them in the chest, but not before his comrade clipped her arm.

Jarred by the impact of the bullet, Apolonia took immediate cover behind the nearest hospital bed, while Ashley and Kaidan moved further into the room. While she furiously slapped medi-gel on her bleeding arm, she noticed Garrus tucked behind a row of cabinets. The thugs didn’t seem to notice he was there.

Kaidan and Ashley had taken a second man out, but the third had returned to Dr. Michel, grabbing her around the neck. He pressed his gun to her temple, and Kaidan and Ashley froze. Shepard slowly stood up from behind her cover, her own gun drawn. She looked over at Garrus, who met her eyes, and she knew he’d gotten the idea.

“Let her go,” She ordered, cocking her pistol. “I’m not going to ask twice.”

Silently, Garrus lifted his rifle over the edge of the cabinets while Shepard distracted the attacker. With a pristine shot, Garrus hit his target, sending the man tumbling to the floor. His gun clattered off under one of the beds.

Dr. Michel bent over, her breathing coming fast and heavy. Everyone else lowered their guns, feeling the tension in the room dissipate. It was clear they were all on the same side now.

“Commander Shepard,” Garrus’s deep voice vibrated, “nice timing.”

Shepard nodded, “Nice shot.” She turned her attention to Dr. Michel, who had gone to sit down. “Dr. Michel, are you alright?”

“Yes, yes,” she nodded slowly, “just a little shaken up. The adrenaline, it will pass.”

Satisfied, Apolonia moved on to the real questions. “Can you tell us who those men were, and why they were after you?”

“They work for a man called Fist, they wanted to keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian.”

“Quarian?” Shepard’s eyebrows furrowed, glancing over to Garrus expectantly.

“A quarian came by my office, asking for help with the Shadow Broker. I put her in contact with Fist. He’s one of the Broker’s agents, or at least he was.”

“Was? From what I’ve heard, the Shadow Broker isn’t someone you just stop working for.” Apolonia crossed her arms, waiting to hear more.

“No,” Garrus replied. “But Fist is working for Saren now, which shows Saren’s hiding something big. I had been tracking Fist’s movements as part of my C-Sec investigation, and I think this quarian has something, and he wants her out of the picture.”

“She said the information had to do with the geth,” Dr. Michel piped in.

Apolonia’s eyes lit up. “She could have proof Saren’s been working with the geth!” She turned to Ashley and Kaidan. “We have to go after Fist.”

“Wait,” Garrus interrupted, “I want in. I started this case, let me finish it.”

Shepard hesistated. “Why exactly do you hate Saren so much?” _And can I trust you?_

“He’s a disgrace and a traitor,” Garrus spat. “If he’s working with the geth, he’s dangerous, and that’s as good a reason as any to put an end to this.”

“Okay, Garrus. Welcome aboard. Any ideas on where to start looking for this Fist guy?”

Garrus nodded, “yeah, I do actually. There’s a krogan mercenary that’s been after him. He’s usually down in C-Sec, in the process of being detained. But, he’s probably got some info we could use.”

Ashley let out a sigh, “Please tell me that’s not the krogan lead you mentioned earlier.”

“Yeah, Williams, I think it is.” Shepard rubbed the back of her neck. “You know what, you stay with Dr. Michel. Make sure Fist’s men don’t come back, and if they do, you know what to do.”

Ashley looked a little relieved, and happily stayed behind to guard Dr. Michel while Kaidan, Garrus, and Apolonia headed out the door.

“C-Sec is this way,” Garrus veered off to the side. “I used to have an office down here.”

“Did you quit the force, Garrus?” Apolonia inquired.

“Ah, well.” He looked back at Kaidan and Apolonia, and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I did. Should probably let them know though.”

As soon as they reached the C-Sec Academy, it became clear who they were looking for. A huge red krogan was surrounded by three C-Sec officers, obviously in an argument.

“Stay away from Fist, Wrex. This is your only warning.”

The krogan let out a snort, “I don’t take orders from you.” He pushed the officer aside with his shoulder, sending the much smaller human stumbling. He was making a beeline for Shepard.

“Commander Shepard. Figured you’d be making your way down here soon enough. Heard you’ve been smashing people’s hands in Chora’s Den.” He chuckled. “I like it.”  
“Wrex, is it? I’ll get to the point: I need to get to Fist, and I need him alive.”

“Mmm, no can do, Commander. Fist is mine, and I’m gonna kill him.”

Shepard crossed her arms and looked up at Wrex defiantly. “Look, I’m no friend of Fist’s. I’ll make you a deal. Take me to Fist, let me get the information I need, and you can take the kill shot.”

Wrex paused for a heavy moment. “We krogan have a saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. You have a deal, Shepard.” He offered out his meaty hand. Shepard took it, and shook it forcefully with her own. 

“Looks like it’s gonna be a great friendship, Wrex.”


	5. The Missing Piece

Apolonia pulled Kaidan to the side, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Alright, I’m gonna go ahead with Garrus and Wrex to Chora’s Den. I want to get a read on them.” She glanced over to where Garrus and Wrex were standing. “I need you to follow behind. Not close enough to be spotted, just close enough to make a hit.”

Kaidan pressed his mouth into a frown. “Commander, are you sure you wouldn’t prefer direct back up?”

With a shake of her head, Apolonia replied. “No, if there’s any time they’re going to show their true colors, it’ll be when they think I’m alone.” She clasped Kaidan’s shoulder. “I appreciate the thought, soldier, but I can handle them.” Apolonia smirked, her bright confidence showing.

Kaidan smiled, “Of course, ma’am. I’ll have your six.”

“I know you will, Kaidan.” She jerked her head toward Garrus and Wrex. “Time for me to get going.”

“Alright, Fist’s office is accessible through Chora’s Den, so we’ll head down that way. I rather avoid a shootout, but be ready for one.” Apolonia approached Garrus and Wrex, pistol in hand.

“Hrmph. I’m always ready,” Wrex grunted, brandishing his gun enthusiastically.

Shepard took the lead and began making her way towards the entrance to Chora’s Den. The lower markets were still full, but she noticed the way eyes lingered on their group. Maybe it was because there was a heavily armored human leading an equally threatening krogan and turian. Maybe it was something else. Apolonia pushed her way through the crowd, trying to stick to the shadows.

The strange atmosphere continued as they entered the hallway that led to Chora’s Den. In stark contrast to her previous visit, there was no one mingling outside the entrance. No thumping bass spilled through the walls. It looked deserted, as if it had been shut down.

“Well shit, if they want to ambush us, they’re gonna have to try a little harder.” Apolonia remarked while checking her pistol. “Guns out, boys. We’re going in hot.”

Shepard pressed her back to the wall directly next to the door, while Wrex took the other side. Garrus had set up on the side of room, scope aimed at the doorway. After checking in with the other two, she slammed her hand over the access panel.

The first shot was fired by Garrus, the bullet hitting one of the would-be ambushers in the middle of the forehead. Wrex charged in, the bones of the fallen attacker crunching under his boots. Apolonia threw up a barrier, and followed in fast behind. They were surrounded by Fist’s men, with gunfire coming from all directions. Apolonia’s barrier was beginning to fade, and she needed to find cover fast. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for a place to hide.

She spotted a table that had been turned over, but one of Fist’s men was crouched behind it. Apolonia took off running, launching herself at full speed toward her enemy. She tackled him to the ground, wrangling him as he fought to throw her off. As she worked to pin his legs down, one of his fists broke free and struck her across the chin. She recoiled slightly, feeling the pain radiate along her jaw.

With a growl, she returned the blow, striking him hard and fast across the cheek with the butt of her pistol. He yelped in pain, but Apolonia hit him again, this time knocking him cold. She shoved his body out of the way, and positioned herself behind the table.

Garrus and Wrex were taking out Fist’s men as quickly as they could. The turian had since moved into the room, and was methodically shooting down those hidden on the upper levels. Wrex just charged through the room like a wild bull, seemingly impervious to the bullets raining down on him. Shepard swore she heard him chuckle as he lifted a man up and slammed him against a table.

Having regained some of her energy, Apolonia rejoined the fray, alternating between powerful blasts of biotics and precise shots of her pistol. Fist’s men began to dwindle, and soon Chora’s Den had cleared out.

Panting, Apolonia gestured forward. “Come on, better move before we find more.”

In the back of the club was another exit, the one that would take them to Fist’s hideaway. Readying her gun, Apolonia opened the door, and moved in. She found herself face to face with two warehouse guards, each holding a small pistol and pointing it at Shepard and her team.

“Put the guns down, or we’ll shoot!”

“Right,” Apolonia held her gun steady. “I don’t know if you saw what happened back there, but you’re welcome to count the bodies if you want to find out.”

One of the guards faltered, lowering his gun. The other looked down at it, still holding his. After glancing back and forth a few times, he lowered his gun too. “Okay, okay, just let us go.”

“Sure,” Apolonia waved her hand nonchalantly. “And tell Fist that Commander Shepard is coming for him.”

The guards took off, while Apolonia broke into a small medi-gel container. She smeared a little along her jaw, which was blossoming in a dark purple bruise. She offered it to Garrus and Wrex, but neither of them took it.

“Alright, let’s get moving. Fist knows were coming, so we’re on a tight schedule.”

Shepard took off at a jog, Garrus and Wrex’s feet pounding on the floor behind her. The warehouse hallway led directly into Fist’s office, where he was already trying to escape. He had erected two turrets, and was firing wildly toward Apolonia.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she shook her head and pointed toward the turrets. “Wrex, Garrus, do me a favor?” The two happily obliged, Garrus loading incendiary rounds into his rifle while Wrex ripped his turret out of its circuitry. He tossed it aside, sparks firing out of the hole he left.

While they dismantled the turrets, Shepard turned her attention to Fist. He was a decent marksman, and Apolonia had to block more than a few bullets. However, with the turrets disabled, he was outnumbered.

Fist was hiding behind a wall, and Apolonia took the opportunity to take cover directly on the opposite side. For a few seconds, no one moved, and then Fist turned the corner to fire at Garrus.

Shepard’s biotics rushed out of her finger tips, launching Fist high into the air. She held them there for a moment, before slamming him into the ground. He let out a groan, clutching his side. “Please, please. I surrender.”

Shepard snorted. “Figured you would. It’s time for us to talk. Where is the quarian?”

Fist laughed, but then let out another moan as pain wracked him again. “I told her she was meeting the Shadow Broker, but I set her up. She’s probably dead by now.”

Shepard lifted her boot and shoved it into Fist’s chest. “Where is the meeting?”

“It’s in the alleyway! To the wards!” He screamed, trying frantically to push Shepard’s foot off of him.

Satisfied, Apolonia removed the pressure, leaving Fist gasping for air. “Thanks for the cooperation, we’ll be leaving now.”

As she turned her back, she heard the crack of a gun as Wrex shot Fist dead. Garrus let out an appalled noise. “You didn’t have to do that. He was incapacitated.”

Wrex shrugged. “It was part of the deal.”

“Come on, we don’t have time to argue,” Apolonia insisted. “We need to find that quarian.” 

She took off toward Chora’s Den, running full speed with Garrus and Wrex close behind. As she climbed a flight of stairs, her breathing came heavy and her heart was pounding in her chest. When they were closer, she heard voices echoing ahead of them. Shepard cleared the top of the stairs just in time for her to see a quarian attack a man in front of her, taking him out quickly and efficiently. It had to be their target.

There were three more men, and Shepard’s team joined the fray. Fist had hired men ready to kill, and Apolonia was fighting tooth and nail with one. She had locked her arm around his neck, but he was scratching furiously at her arm plates. With a grunt, Shepard kicked the man’s legs farther apart, causing him to lose his strength and stumble. She let go of his neck, and shot him in the back.

The dust from the battle began to clear, and the quarian stood surrounded by Garrus and Wrex. She was clearly outnumbered, but held her gun defensively anyway. Shepard sensed her nervousness, and gestured for Wrex and Garrus to put their guns down.

“Relax,” Apolonia tucked her own gun into its holster, “We’re here to help.” 

The quarian kept her gun raised high. “Who are you?”

“I’m Commander Shepard, I’m with the Alliance military. I’m trying to stop Saren.”

‘Saren?” Finally, the quarian lowered the gun. “My name is Tali’Zorah nar Rayya. If you want the evidence, we need to go somewhere safer.”

***

Ambassador Udina’s voice was like a knife in Shepard’s ears. She was tired from the mission, and he was berating her for “excessive gun fire” and “disturbing the peace.” She was doing her best to block him out, until she heard her name.

“Commander Shepard! Are you even listening? And what is this quarian doing here?”

With an angry sigh, Shepard crossed her arms. “Well, speaking of listening. If you had paid attention when I came in, you would know that she has evidence against Saren.” 

“Saren?” Udina stopped in his tracks, “how did a quarian find information on Saren?”

Tali stepped forward, “I’m on my pilgrimage, and I was investing the activity of the geth. I hoped that I could learn something about them to help my people, so I removed the memory core.”

“Removed the memory core? I thought geth self-destruct.” Captain Anderson joined the conversation.

“My people built the geth,” Tali remarked confidently, “if you have good timing, skills, and a little bit of luck, sometimes you can save data caches.”

“And you recovered data that could implicate Saren, I presume?” Anderson pressed.

“Yes, I’ll play it for you now.” Tali messed around with her omni-tool for a few moments, and then a voice that was unmistakably Saren’s filled the room.

_“The assault on Eden Prime was an absolute victory. Despite Shepard’s usage of the Beacon, we are one step closer to the Conduit.”_

“The Conduit? Is that some kind of weapon?” Apolonia inquired.

Tail shrugged, “I don’t know, but there is more you need to hear.”

This time, the voice was female: _“If we can successfully reach the conduit, the Reapers will be able to return. We will rise to victory.”_

After the recording had finished, it still echoed in Apolonia’s head. She rubbed her temple, feeling a thought on the edge of her mind. “That word, ‘reapers,’ it sounds familiar.”

“The geth have described them as a very powerful synthetic race,” Tali explained. “They believe that they are the ones who wiped out the Protheans, and then disappeared. They seem to worship them as gods. I believe they view Saren as a sort of prophet, one who will let the Reapers return to create a world of synthetics.”

It all came flooding back to Shepard. Her vision from the Beacon flashed in her mind, and she began to understand what she had seen. “I saw them. The Reapers. They were in my vision…I saw them destroying the Protheans.”

Anderson looked at Apolonia urgently, “Shepard, we need to inform the Council of what you know.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, “No. That is only going to discredit the evidence we have against Saren. We need to take him out first, and we can deal with the vision later.”

Captain Anderson resigned, and turned to Tali. “Tali’Zorah, will you allow us to use this evidence to prove to the Council that Saren is working with the geth?”

“Of course, Captain. I want to stop them as much as you.”

With a nod, Anderson looked back at Shepard. “I think it’s time we show the Council what humanity is all about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title For the Series: 101 Ways to Kill a Man
> 
> I added the violence warning since, although not horribly graphic, Apolonia kills a lot of people.  
> Next update will have some more insight into what makes Apolonia tick, so stay tuned.


	6. Pictures of the Past

As Apolonia and her team left the embassies, she heard a distressed voice call her name. “Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard, please!”

Her head swiveled to find the source of the voice; a tall man with dark skin, dressed in all white. His eyes were a deep brown and watery. He looked as if he had been crying for a long time, given the redness in his face. “Commander Shepard, just a moment.” He begged her.

Apolonia beckoned the man over. She would at least listen to what the man had to say. “You have my attention, what do you need?”

Relief flushed the man’s face. “I’m Mr. Bhatia, and my wife…” he took a deep, shaky breath, “my wife was part of the 212 on Eden Prime. They won’t send her body back to me. I just want her to come home.” Mr. Bhatia began to weep gently, and Apolonia waved her crewmembers away.

She led Mr. Bhatia to a small bench, and sat down with him. “Can you tell me more about why they won’t bring her back?”

Mr. Bhatia’s eyes met hers, and he slowly shook his head. “I have a caseworker, he works over in the embassies, but he hasn’t given me any information. I have been by so many times, and I don’t know what else to do.” With a sniffle, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

Apolonia felt a familiar pang in her heart, and the swirl of memories rising up inside her head. “I’ll go talk to him,” she took Mr. Bhatia’s hand in her own. “I’ve lost someone too. I know how it feels. She’ll come home, Mr. Bhatia.” Her stomach twisted with grief and anger as she held onto his hand.

Mr. Bhatia clasped Apolonia’s fingers tighter. “Thank you, Commander. Thank you.”

Apolonia left Mr. Bhatia on the bench, and stormed toward the embassies, her rage blossoming further in her stomach. “I’ll be right back,” she shouted at her crew, leaving them standing aimlessly in the reception area of the embassies.

Her armored boots clanged heavily up the stairs, each step sending another jolt of anger through her body. She could feel her biotics crackling just underneath her skin, and she didn’t care enough to rein them in. The caseworker’s office was just near the top of the stairs, and Apolonia slammed open the door unceremoniously.

The caseworker was at his desk in the middle of the room, but had rolled his chair a few feet away from it in surprise. “Um, may I help you?” he stuttered, looking at the fully armed woman before him.

Shepard marched over to his desk, slamming her palms down onto it and sending papers flying. “Tell me why Mr. Bhatia hasn’t received his wife’s body.”

The caseworker stammered again, averting his eyes from Shepard’s fury. “The paperwork, it takes a while to process, I have tried explain this to Mr. Bhatia…I understand his grief, but the time…”

Shepard picked up a stapler and it whistled past the caseworker’s head, ruffling his hair. “Bullshit,” she growled as the caseworker’s eyes grew wider in fear. “I know how long that paperwork takes, I've filled it out myself. So why don’t you tell me the fucking truth?”

“Okay, okay, just please, stop throwing things!” the caseworker begged, but the fury in Shepard’s eyes was not comforting. “Her body is being held. It was determined that research could be conducted on it. It will be returned as soon as the research is completed.”

Apolonia vaulted the desk, and pulled the caseworker up by his shirt. His nose was level with hers, and her eyes were burning holes into his. “ _Her._ Not it,” her voice low and menacing. “And she is coming back immediately, even if I have to launch you into space myself.”

Releasing her grip on the caseworker’s shirt, he fell to the ground with a thud. He scrambled back away from her on his hands and knees. Apolonia left his office without another word. 

Her omni-tool started beeping frantically with a message from Anderson, asking where she was. Time had gotten away from her, and the meeting with the Council was about to start. In a rush, she raced to the elevator, and made her way toward the Presidium Tower.

Anderson was waiting for her on the steps again, and as soon as Apolonia came into sight, he waved her forward. The two jogged up the last flight of stairs, to see Ambassador Udina presenting the evidence to the Council.

Saren’s words boomed through the Council Chambers, echoed by the female voice. When the recording stopped, the Council fell silent for a long moment. The salarian was the first to speak.

“I believe the Council can agree that this recording clearly proves Saren’s role in the attack on Eden Prime.” He paused for agreement from his fellow councilors. “In light of this, the Council formally strips Saren Arterius of his Spectre status. He is an enemy of the Council, and shall be apprehended on sight.”

The asari councilor raised her voice. “There is also the matter of the second voice on the recording.” There was a pregnant pause before she let out a deep sigh. “That was the voice of Matriarch Benezia. It appears she is working with Saren. She is a powerful and dangerous ally, and she too must be stopped.” 

“Ambassador Udina,” the turian councilor addressed the human leader. “What do you know about this ‘conduit’ they speak of?”

“The geth view these ‘reapers’ as gods, and Saren as their prophet. It appears that Saren believes the Conduit is the key to restoring synthetic power.”

Apolonia stepped forward. “The Conduit is going to bring back the Reapers. That’s why Saren is after it.”

The turian councilor flapped his mandibles. “Even if Saren believes this, he is clearly warped. Besides, we cannot truly know what this Conduit is if we do not find it.”

“The Reapers are a mere myth, Commander” the asari councilor nodded in agreement.

Shepard clenched her fist in frustration. “You didn’t believe me about Saren, and now you refuse to believe me about the Reapers. Do not make the same mistake. The Reapers will come back if Saren finds that conduit. You need to send in your fleet after him and stop him.”

The salarian councilor shook his head. “Commander Shepard, while you have provided us with significant proof of Saren’s crimes, we have no evidence to show what this Conduit is. Additionally, Saren could be anywhere. It would not be prudent to waste our resources without any leads on his whereabouts.”

“Perhaps it is time,” the asari councilor interrupted.

“No,” the turian councilor insisted firmly. “Humanity is not ready to join the Spectres.”

Apolonia took several steps forward, so she was as close to the councilors as she could get. “All I want to do is stop Saren. If you aren’t going to do it, someone needs to. I’ve proven myself, so give me what I need to bring him in.” Her voice echoed in the chamber.

There was a moment of silence as the councilors conferred. Every second felt like an hour to Apolonia, but she refused to move from her position. She straightened her shoulders, and raised her head with confidence.

The asari councilor spoke first, “The Council has decided that Commander Shepard will join the ranks of the Spectres.” Gasps and cheers rose from the balconies of the chamber, but she continued.

“The Spectres serve as the right hand of the Council. Their duty is to protect the galaxy, at any costs. They are chosen for their dedication and skill, in hopes they will continue to provide peace throughout the stars.”

“The Spectres are given a privilege with this responsibility,” The turian councilor continued. “Their freedom to act as they see fit is a heavy weight they must bear. Their actions should always be for the better of the people they protect.” 

“The Spectres are both our first and last line of defense. They are given a great power we hope they must never use, but with the knowledge they will wield it wisely when the time comes. As Commander Shepard joins their ranks, so does humanity. She will represent not just her people, but the Council as well.”

“It’s about fucking time.” Apolonia remarked, Udina noticeably cringing behind her. 

Unfazed, the asari councilor turned her attention to the ambassador and Shepard. “Commander Shepard, your primary objective is to locate the Conduit, and return it safely to the Council’s hands. Ambassador Udina, please help Commander Shepard procure the necessary resources for her task. This meeting of the Council is adjourned.”

As the Council and crowd dispersed, Udina came down on Shepard with a fury. “Commander Shepard. Humanity finally earns some respect and the first thing you do to represent us is to curse at the Council?”

Apolonia rolled her eyes. “The Council’s met me before, and they’ve read the reports. They knew who I was and they know what they’re getting into, so you can let it go.”

Udina pursed his lips, fuming at the dismissal. “Very well, Commander. I have some matters to attend to, but I urge you to meet the Captain and I at the docking bay in a few hours.”

“See you then,” Apolonia waved as the ambassador disappeared in a huff.

***

Apolonia found her way to the docking bay, with her crew behind her. Kaidan walked alongside her, chatting as they passed various ships. “Congratulations on becoming a Spectre, Shepard. It must be an honor.”

Apolonia smiled at the good-natured Lieutenant. “Thanks, Kaidan. I don’t care so much about the title as I do about the Council finally giving us some damn respect. I still don’t trust them, but I’ll take what’s been given to me.”

Kaidan nodded, briefly meeting Apolonia’s eyes before looking away again. They continued toward their destination in silence, but the Commander found herself glancing his way more than once.

The ambassador and Anderson were standing on the ramp leading up to the Normandy, clearly expecting Shepard and her crew. Upon their arrival, Anderson ushered everyone but Shepard inside the ship.

“Commander Shepard,” Udina began, when the area had cleared. “Captain Anderson has decided to step down as chief officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now.”

Bewildered, Apolonia looked to Anderson. “Sir, this is _your_ ship. Why are you stepping down?”

With a sigh, Anderson crossed his arms. “I was once in your shoes, Shepard. The Council was considering me as a Spectre. Saren and I were tasked to take out a rouge scientist working on illegal AI technology. It should have been simple.” The Captain’s dark eyes shifted to the floor.

“Our task was merely to capture the scientist and escape with minimal casualties. Saren and I had split up, with me taking on the main offensive line. However, during the mission, there was a massive explosion. I believe it was Saren who set it off.”

“So, it was a diversion?” Apolonia suggested.

“No, it was murder. The facility was a scientific laboratory. The explosion set off gas tanks, and spewed chemical waste into the air. Not to mention those who died directly because of the blast. The final count was over 500 people dead.”

Apolonia said nothing, letting silence fill the air.

“Saren pushed the blame on me. The Council, of course, didn’t listen. My chance to be a Spectre was ruined.”

“I’m sorry, sir. We’ll beat Saren.”

‘Yes, we will,” Anderson stated confidently. “But we need a place to start. I have gathered a few leads that may send you in the right direction. There are reports of high geth activity on Feros and Noveria, which may indicate Saren’s presence there. There could be clues to either his whereabouts or the location of the Conduit.”

“Additionally,” Udina chimed in, “there is an asari archaeologist in the Artemis Tau cluster. She is the daughter of Matriarch Benezia.”

Shepard nodded. “What about the Reapers?”

“Finding the Conduit is the best chance at minimizing that threat, so that will remain our objective. Good luck, Shepard.” Anderson offered out his hand to Apolonia.

With a firm grasp, she took it. “Thank you, sir.”

Letting go of the Captain's hand, Apolonia took a final glance at the glimmering lights of the Citadel, and boarded her ship.


End file.
